R.A. Dickey's an Ace—and a Bargain

ENLARGE

R.A. Dickey is 8-1 with an ERA of 2.69 this season.
Assocaited Press

By

Brian Costa

June 6, 2012 8:40 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—He's been the subject of an acclaimed documentary, written a bestselling memoir and made a widely publicized climb up the world's tallest freestanding mountain. But when it comes to pitching, R.A. Dickey said, "Nobody really pays much attention to me."

In the eyes of the public, Dickey said, "I'm still kind of the guy that developed a trick pitch late and is running on fumes."

What has become clear over the last two years, though, is that Dickey is no fluke. He is much more than a curiosity now. And while, as a knuckleballer, his durability is a given, it would be selling him short to call him the workhorse of the Mets' starting rotation.

A co-ace might be a more fitting description. Heading into his Thursday afternoon start against the Nationals, Dickey is tied for the most wins in the majors, with an 8-1 record. Through Tuesday, his 2.69 ERA ranked 13th among National League starting pitchers.

Together, he and Johan Santana have formed one of the league's best top-of-the-rotation duos. That's a big reason why the Mets began their series against Washington with a chance to move into first place. And it has helped them limit their reliance on a bullpen that has been among the worst.

"It really saves our bullpen from a lot of work," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Those guys have given us those quality innings and have kept us in the game, where we haven't had to do a lot of double-switching or anything else. The top of our rotation has done a pretty good job lately."

That Santana has been both dominant and durable has come as a surprise, given that he missed last season while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. But Dickey's performance should come as a shock to no one.

He has just completed a calendar year of pitching that puts him among the league's elite arms. Since the start of June 2011, Dickey is 14-8. His 2.72 ERA over that span is the sixth lowest in the N.L., and his 214 2/3 innings are tied for the seventh most. The pitchers he was tied with (entering Wednesday): Roy Halladay and Madison Bumgarner. The pitcher with the closest ERA to Dickey's over that span: Cole Hamels.

"If you take the name out from the statistic and ask 10 people, 'Whose numbers are whose?' See if they can tell you," Dickey said. The first pitcher that comes to mind is probably not the bearded, 37-year-old knuckleballer in Flushing. But that may change if Dickey keeps pitching this way.

Though he is reluctant to talk about the possibility of making the All-Star team, he is on pace to at least warrant consideration. And while he's not quite at a Cy Young Award level, he is, if nothing else, one of the game's best bargains.

He signed a two-year, $7.8 million deal before last season, with a club option for 2013. And by one measure, his value to the Mets has already vastly exceeded his salary.

FanGraphs calculates a player's dollar value each season based on two factors: how many more wins he was worth than a replacement-level player; and how much teams paid per marginal win on the free-agent market that year. The figure is essentially a measure of how much a team would have had to spend on the free-agent market to replace the production it got from that player.

In 2011, Dickey earned $2.25 million and was worth $11.1 million. This season, he is due to earn $4.25 million, but he has already been worth $6.1 million.

The Mets can still retain Dickey for 2013 for $5 million. He is hoping they will offer him a multi-year extension before then, but at some point, he also wants to be a little bit less of a bargain.

"I want to be a Met," he said. "There's a certain amount of loyalty that I feel. But I think every individual wants to be appreciated for what they do. I'm not saying there's a number that makes me feel that way, but I certainly would like to feel like they want me here."

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